


Aftermath

by Nicxan



Category: System Shock (Video Games)
Genre: Also there's some swearing., Description of Grievous Wounds, Gen, Help this poor hacker.
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-30
Updated: 2016-09-30
Packaged: 2018-08-18 16:05:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,219
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8167837
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nicxan/pseuds/Nicxan
Summary: He expected to feel pride, or accomplishment, or ... anything. But the Hacker just felt exhausted.





	

_ ‘It’s over.’ _   
  
The Hacker's head spun as he stared at the screen in front of him. He had expected to feel a sense of pride, or relief, or something.  _ Anything _ . Yet, the primary data loop for SHODAN had been destroyed, and he felt nothing. 

Well, that wasn't entirely true. The fresh plasma burn on his shoulder stung to hell and back. He could taste the blood in his mouth. The deep cut on his chest still ached, despite having used at least three med patches on it alone. The Hacker groaned quietly as he looked away from the monitor. All the spinning pixels made him even dizzier.   
  
Everything faded in and out of focus; it wasn’t a shock to him when the interface beeped to warn him of his fatigue levels. Still, the Hacker swore under his breath. He couldn’t fall asleep - not on this station. Even with SHODAN gone, there might be some straggler that could finish him off.  He searched his pockets clumsily, hoping to find any leftover staminup.    
  
There wasn’t any.

The Hacker’s vision had dimmed further when he got an e-mail. The sound of it had been enough to jolt him back to his senses. He struggled to open it. When Rebecca Lansing's voice came in through his interface, loud and clear, he smiled weakly.  _ "You did good, Hacker. We're sending a shuttle to get you now. Just stay put, we'll be there soon. And -- thank you." _

He felt the faintest sense of relief before his legs finally gave way. The Hacker collapsed onto the cold tile and lost consciousness only seconds after.

 

* * *

 

_ “He’s waking up. Let me handle this.” _   
  
The voice sounded so far away. He strained to listen to it further, to recognize it, but it slipped away too quickly. The Hacker forced himself to open his eyes, but shut them again - the bright lights above him _ hurt _ .   
  
He heard a chair pull next to him, and that was enough to get him to examine his surroundings. The Hacker tilted his head to the side to avoid the lights.  _ ‘... Hospital room ...?’  _   
  
He had made it off of Citadel, then. Once he realized, he noticed the difference in the air. It smelled so much cleaner. The smell of burnt metal was gone, too.  
  
“Hacker.” The voice sounded much closer this time. He tried to sit up, but the pain proved to be too much. The Hacker winced as he laid back down on the bed. He could barely crane his neck to see Rebecca at his bedside. While she wasn’t physically hurt, the bags under her eyes were prominent. Her expression was stern. Despite her harsh demeanor, the Hacker had never been happier to see another human being. “I’m glad you made it out in one piece.”   
  
“You’re telling me,” he rasped with a half-hearted laugh. The Hacker hesitated for a moment before speaking again. “So it’s done? For real?” His voice wavered as he spoke, almost as if he was afraid of the answer.   
  
“It is.” The Hacker’s shoulders relaxed, and he sighed in relief. Before he could say anything else, Rebecca cut in. “But you’re not out of the woods yet. On top of a lot of serious injuries, we have some questions for you. But I told them to hold off for a bit since you’re still recovering.”   
  
The Hacker groaned and shut his eyes. The mere thought of dealing with police and politics made him feel nauseous. “Thanks for getting them to back off, then.”    
  
He barely heard her chuckle. “It’s not completely altruistic - I’m tired, too.” He couldn’t help but snicker at that.   
  
“I can tell. Having to lead my sorry ass around that entire station would get exhausting.”   
  
“You were more cooperative than half of the people in my department.”   
  
The Hacker snorted. A sharp pain shot through his torso in response, and he hissed. His response sounded strained. “Holy shit, that’s sad.”   
  
“It really is.”   
  
Silence hung in the air for what felt like years. The Hacker desperately tried to not focus on the gash on his chest, or the aches in his legs, or how sore his arms felt - it all failed. He bit his lip to hide a groan.    
  
“Hacker. You’ve been through a lot.” Her tone had softened - and to him, it sounded odd. He nodded as best he could. “... You had no idea this was going to happen, did you?”   
  
“No.”   
  
“I’m ...  _ we’re _ sorry.” The sincerity in her apology made him open his eyes and look over with a vacant stare. “You  _ did _ break the law, but no one should have been caught up in this mess at all. We’ll try to make it right.”   
  
Something told him that TriOp wasn’t going to bounce back from this. The Hacker could only imagine all the lawsuits that they’d be dealing with on top of the negative press. He still smiled at the gesture. “That includes clearing my record.”   
  
“Should’ve known.” She let out a long sigh. “Yes, we’ll clear your record. As promised. But that won’t do you much good if you fall into old habits.”    
  
“I’d never dream of it.” Rebecca shot him a look, but he paid it no mind. The Hacker shifted to get more comfortable on the bed. “... Listen. Seriously, thanks. I wouldn’t be alive if you hadn’t been helping me.”    
  
She didn’t look any less exhausted, but her eyes lit up just enough to be noticeable. “Oh, well, you’re welcome. You couldn’t imagine how relieved we were when we finally got someone who was alive. And not converted on top of it.”    
  
A shudder ran through his spine involuntarily. The Hacker glanced away, now truly feeling ill. He hadn’t had the chance to think about it before, but the realization of everything finally hit him.  _ ‘God. So many crew members, most of them okay people, and they’re ...’ _   
  
“... Hacker.” Her voice brought him back to reality. “You don’t look so good. I should probably let you go for now. You’ll need your rest.”   
  
He couldn’t really deny that. Throughout the conversation, his eyes had started to feel heavy again, and he was damn sure that he looked much more pale than before. The Hacker couldn’t resist his curiosity, though. “Where are we, anyways?”   
  
“On course back to Titan, near New Atlanta.” The Hacker smiled despite his nausea and let himself relax.  _ ‘Home. I’m going home.’ _ He’d be stuck with the authorities for longer than he wanted, sure, but at least he’d be near Saturn again. “It’s going to be a few hours, so get some sleep while you can.”   
  
“Don’t have to tell me twice.” He paused. “Any way to turn these lights down?”   
  
“Sure. I wouldn’t be able to stand it, either.” Rebecca rose to her feet and walked towards the door. The Hacker sighed contentedly when she flicked off the lights. “Oh, and Hacker?” The professionalism in her tone returned. “There is a guard in front of your door. Don’t try anything stupid.”   
  
“You really think I’d be able to do anything like this?”   
  
“You took down SHODAN by yourself with those injuries. I wouldn’t put anything past you.” The door slid open, and Rebecca walked out.   
  
The Hacker shut his eyes and sank into the bed. It didn’t take him long for him to fall back asleep.


End file.
